What To Watch In 2009

City Treasurer Donna Anderson, first elected in 2001, will seek a third term as Burbank’s head financier, as will City Clerk Margarita Campos. Both are running unopposed.

The Burbank Board of Education features a race between three candidates: Current school board President Larry Applebaum will seek his second year on the educational body, as will Debbie Kukta, who was first elected in 2005.

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They will be challenged by resident Gregory Bragg.

NBC Universal prepares to leave

Near the end of 2007, NBC Universal announced it would relocate operations from the 35-acre campus in Burbank, where it has been for 56 years, to Universal City. That transfer could begin to take shape in both cities in 2009 as Burbank looks forward to a new lease with different media companies.

Developer M. David Paul & Associates, which purchased the lot shortly after NBC announced it would leave Burbank, will add two 14-story buildings to property it already owns near Catalina Street, where two towers of the same height are already in the works.

Meanwhile, Jay Leno will step down as host of the “The Tonight Show,” with Conan O’Brien taking over the 11:35 p.m. time slot in Universal City.

But Leno, 58, announced in December that he would stay in Burbank after his reign ends in May with a new comedy/talk show starting in the fall.

Leno’s new show will be similar to his current one by including some of his most popular elements, such as his opening monologue, “Headlines,” “Jaywalking” and “Battle of the Jaywalking All-Stars.”

The show is scheduled to air from 10 to 11 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Bronze statue to honor city founder

The final piece of a $10-million improvement project for a 2.2-mile stretch of revitalized Burbank Boulevard is due to be installed in 2009.

Artist Andrea Favilli has nearly completed what will be a bronze sculpture for the intersection of Burbank and Victory boulevards. The sculpture will feature a slightly larger-than-life bronze sculpture of David Burbank, the eponymous founder of the city. It will stand in front of a 60-foot flagpole on a large pedestal with iconic images of Burbank’s history.